What makes a successful career? If you’ve read a few articles on career development before, you probably said education, or a good network, or developing whatever skillset is expected of people in your industry. But there’s one thing you’re probably forgetting. Learn about the soft skill you need to work on, plus how to do your homework for an interview and how to get your totally disengaged co-worker to give you that information you need, in this week’s roundup.

“When we educate students or less established employees about the world of work, techniques to stoke self-development strategies are commonly neglected,” Dr. Gottschalk writes. “Yet, another ‘soft skill’ that could change the course of an individual’s career. Becoming your own advocate — and owning this process — can be a huge advantage.”

In her post, she shares a few ideas about how to make self-development a priority.

If preparing for a job interview were a class, it would be part research project, part debate club prep, with maybe a smattering of improv: you want to go in knowing about the company and interviewer, but you don’t want to look like you learned your answers by rote.

Also, you only have so much time, especially if you’re interviewing at a bunch of different places. In his post, Goodman explains what you absolutely need to know about a prospective employer before you set foot in the interview room. For example, do you understand the company’s mission?

“When I was hiring people, the first question I would ask was, ‘What do you know about us?’ If the response indicated they did not bother to spend the time to research our firm, they were a definite ‘Do Not Hire,'” he explains.

“Ever worked with someone who rarely responded to requests for input or approval, even when you needed a response in order to move your own work forward?” Green asks. “Do your requests seem to fall into a black hole? Working with unresponsive colleagues can be incredibly frustrating and can stymy your own productivity if you don’t find a way to work around them.”

Her tips will help you get the information you need from even the least engaged colleague … probably without putting you in a catatonic state, as well.

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Jen Hubley Luckwaldt

Jen Hubley Luckwaldt writes about work-life balance, stress management, and other topics relating to what makes us happy at work. A full-time freelancer, she deals with stress by blurring the lines between life and work to the point where the two spheres are barely separate. The happiest day of her career was when scientists proved that looking at pictures of cute animals makes us more productive.